Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition
Encyclopedia
'The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition (SSBE) is a Sacred Name Bible
which uses the names Yahweh
and Yahshua
in both the Old and New Testaments (Chamberlin p. 51-3). It was produced by Jacob O. Meyer
, based on the American Standard Version
of 1901 and it contains over 977 pages. The Assemblies of Yahweh
printed 5,500 copies of the first edition in 1981. It is also used by some members in the SNM
.
Prominent religious leaders have agreed that Yahweh cannot be translated in to any word exactly (Herbert Armstrong, pp. 128 – 129), while other Bible translators point out that the reason for not pronouncing Yahweh and producing the form Jehovah, was down to a misunderstanding of Jewish tradition (Anchor Bible, page XIV). Bible translations such as the Rotherham's Emphasized Bible
, the Anchor Bible, and the Jerusalem Bible
have retained the name Yahweh in the Old Testament. The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition is one of the few English Bible translations that uses Yahweh in both the Old Testament
and the New Testament
.
Notable aspects of the Bible include its use of the name of God (Yahweh) and the Semitic name of the Messiah – commonly referred to as Jesus – Yahshua. Instead of the greek word "Christ", it uses the Hebrew word "Messiah", instead of "church" it uses "assembly". Also, this translation does not use the terms "cross" and "crucify", but rather "torture stake" and "impale". Therefore, the translation of the Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition uses words that the translator claimed have the more accurate meanings, rather than the usual words employed by translators. It is also distinguishable by its preface section, which describes the setting, language and name of the Bible. The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition concludes with a "Pure Religious Vocabulary" section, which gives the explanation of words which should be avoided for those seeking "to purify their personal worship". This glossary of terms briefly traces and presents the etymology of words used frequently by Christian theologians which the translator claimed are pagan in origin. It also includes additional information for scholarly research.
felt that damage is done to the texts by translators who fail to bring over the appropriate words from the Hebrew or Greek into the English language. At the back of the Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition Bible, four pages are provided for the simple purpose of pointing out these discrepancies. By using the words that appeared in the original texts, Meyer hopes to aid the True Worshipper to The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition Bible has been referred to as a scholarly Bible because of the translators
intention to bring the Bible as closely as possible to the original texts. Proponents of Sacred Name Bibles contend that their reputation is damaged by translators who reject the name Yahweh in favor of variants they regard as philologically and grammatically
impossible. In the Preface, evidence is offered to show how the rendering of Jehovah is a serious mispronunciation of the Tetragrammaton. Among some of the politer terms used by scholars to describe the name Jehovah are "morphological monstrosity" and a "mispronunciation", but Bibles that use the name Jehovah have gained more popularity than those using Yahweh. The Assemblies of Yahweh
state that all the titles assigned to substitute the Name "are inferior titles at that". Jacob Meyer
writes in the Sacred Name Broadcaster: "We as humans cannot choose the name which we personally wish to call him. He has already named himself" and that "The best transliteration of this name into English is spelled Yahweh, and is so pronounced". They therefore reject the English titles for God's name, claiming to etymologically trace such titles to the worship of other deities. The Assemblies of Yahweh use the Hebrew names Yahweh and Yahshua, rather than God and Jesus. They also use Elohim instead of Lord
, and Messiah
instead of Christ. By returning to the Hebrew titles, they believe they can please Yahweh in a pure speech, hoping to fulfill .
. The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition is available at some libraries in England and the United States and is used at the Dalet School and the Obadiah School of the Bible, both in Bethel, Pennsylvania.
intention to bring the Bible as closely as possible to the original texts. Meyer acknowledged that a certain amount of damage is done to the texts by translators who fail to bring over the appropriate words from the Hebrew or Greek, in to the English language. At the back of the Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition Bible, four pages are provided for the simple purpose of pointing out these discrepancies – by giving definitions of the words employed and from where they originated. By using the words that appeared in the original texts and offering a glossary, Meyer hoped to aid the True Worshipper to
Sacred name Bibles
The term Sacred Name Bibles and the term sacred-name versions are used in general sources to refer to editions of the Bible that are usually connected with the Sacred Name Movement...
which uses the names Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
and Yahshua
Yahshua
Yahshua is an argued transliteration of the original Hebrew or Aramaic name of Jesus commonly used by individuals in the Sacred Name Movement....
in both the Old and New Testaments (Chamberlin p. 51-3). It was produced by Jacob O. Meyer
Jacob O. Meyer
Jacob Owen Meyer was the founder and directing elder of the Assemblies of Yahweh and its institutions, the Obadiah School of the Bible and Dalet School...
, based on the American Standard Version
American Standard Version
The Revised Version, Standard American Edition of the Bible, more commonly known as the American Standard Version , is a version of the Bible that was released in 1901...
of 1901 and it contains over 977 pages. The Assemblies of Yahweh
Assemblies of Yahweh
The Assemblies of Yahweh is a nonprofit religious organization with its international headquarters in Bethel, Pennsylvania. The organization developed independently out of a radio ministry begun by Elder Jacob O. Meyer in 1966...
printed 5,500 copies of the first edition in 1981. It is also used by some members in the SNM
Sacred Name Movement
The Sacred Name Movement is a movement within Adventism in Christianity, propagated by Clarence Orvil Dodd from the 1930s, that claims to seek to conform Christianity to its "Hebrew Roots" in practice, belief and worship. The best known distinction of the SNM is its advocacy of the use of the...
.
Sacred names
Sacred Name supporters often cite from passages such as where, in the original Hebrew texts, YHWH ( . ) is found. The Name is found approximately 7,000 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. Some claim that the pronunciation was lost, or unknown. However, most prominent, authoritative reference works today do not support this view. The Encyclopedia Judaica makes the following statement:Prominent religious leaders have agreed that Yahweh cannot be translated in to any word exactly (Herbert Armstrong, pp. 128 – 129), while other Bible translators point out that the reason for not pronouncing Yahweh and producing the form Jehovah, was down to a misunderstanding of Jewish tradition (Anchor Bible, page XIV). Bible translations such as the Rotherham's Emphasized Bible
Emphasized Bible
Rotherham's Emphasized Bible is a translation of the Bible that uses various methods, such as "emphatic idiom" and special diacritical marks, to bring out nuances of the underlying Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts...
, the Anchor Bible, and the Jerusalem Bible
Jerusalem Bible
The Jerusalem Bible is a Roman Catholic translation of the Bible which first was introduced to the English-speaking public in 1966 and published by Darton, Longman & Todd...
have retained the name Yahweh in the Old Testament. The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition is one of the few English Bible translations that uses Yahweh in both the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
and the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
.
Notability
Restoring the truth
Assemblies of Yahweh elder Jacob O. MeyerJacob O. Meyer
Jacob Owen Meyer was the founder and directing elder of the Assemblies of Yahweh and its institutions, the Obadiah School of the Bible and Dalet School...
felt that damage is done to the texts by translators who fail to bring over the appropriate words from the Hebrew or Greek into the English language. At the back of the Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition Bible, four pages are provided for the simple purpose of pointing out these discrepancies. By using the words that appeared in the original texts, Meyer hopes to aid the True Worshipper to The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition Bible has been referred to as a scholarly Bible because of the translators
Jacob O. Meyer
Jacob Owen Meyer was the founder and directing elder of the Assemblies of Yahweh and its institutions, the Obadiah School of the Bible and Dalet School...
intention to bring the Bible as closely as possible to the original texts. Proponents of Sacred Name Bibles contend that their reputation is damaged by translators who reject the name Yahweh in favor of variants they regard as philologically and grammatically
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
impossible. In the Preface, evidence is offered to show how the rendering of Jehovah is a serious mispronunciation of the Tetragrammaton. Among some of the politer terms used by scholars to describe the name Jehovah are "morphological monstrosity" and a "mispronunciation", but Bibles that use the name Jehovah have gained more popularity than those using Yahweh. The Assemblies of Yahweh
Assemblies of Yahweh
The Assemblies of Yahweh is a nonprofit religious organization with its international headquarters in Bethel, Pennsylvania. The organization developed independently out of a radio ministry begun by Elder Jacob O. Meyer in 1966...
state that all the titles assigned to substitute the Name "are inferior titles at that". Jacob Meyer
Jacob O. Meyer
Jacob Owen Meyer was the founder and directing elder of the Assemblies of Yahweh and its institutions, the Obadiah School of the Bible and Dalet School...
writes in the Sacred Name Broadcaster: "We as humans cannot choose the name which we personally wish to call him. He has already named himself" and that "The best transliteration of this name into English is spelled Yahweh, and is so pronounced". They therefore reject the English titles for God's name, claiming to etymologically trace such titles to the worship of other deities. The Assemblies of Yahweh use the Hebrew names Yahweh and Yahshua, rather than God and Jesus. They also use Elohim instead of Lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
, and Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
instead of Christ. By returning to the Hebrew titles, they believe they can please Yahweh in a pure speech, hoping to fulfill .
Editions
The Assemblies of Yahweh continue to use the Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition as their preferred text. It has currently undergone seven printings: 1981, 1986, 1989, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2008. The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition is a publication by the Assemblies of Yahweh and its editor, Jacob O. MeyerJacob O. Meyer
Jacob Owen Meyer was the founder and directing elder of the Assemblies of Yahweh and its institutions, the Obadiah School of the Bible and Dalet School...
. The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition is available at some libraries in England and the United States and is used at the Dalet School and the Obadiah School of the Bible, both in Bethel, Pennsylvania.
Religious vocabulary
The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition Bible has been referred to as a scholarly Bible because of the translatorsJacob O. Meyer
Jacob Owen Meyer was the founder and directing elder of the Assemblies of Yahweh and its institutions, the Obadiah School of the Bible and Dalet School...
intention to bring the Bible as closely as possible to the original texts. Meyer acknowledged that a certain amount of damage is done to the texts by translators who fail to bring over the appropriate words from the Hebrew or Greek, in to the English language. At the back of the Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition Bible, four pages are provided for the simple purpose of pointing out these discrepancies – by giving definitions of the words employed and from where they originated. By using the words that appeared in the original texts and offering a glossary, Meyer hoped to aid the True Worshipper to
Quotations
External links
- Official Assemblies of Yahweh site
- Bible Readers Museum- at display.